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St. Thomas Still Needs Attention from Health Authorities-Seiveright

Caretaker for Eastern St. Thomas Delano Sieveright is calling on the Health authorities to educate the people of St. Thomas on how to deal with the “after-effects” of Chikungunya and how to improve their water storage methods to prevent other mosquito borne viruses.

He made this call noting that as much as 80 percent of entire districts appear to have been affected by Chikungunya, but now the number of new cases in St. Thomas are appearing to decline, being replaced by many residents complaining bitterly of lingering joint pain, weeks and months after first contracting the virus. He expressed concerns for these persons who in many cases complain about their inability to carry out normal day to day functions.

He said “Given that joint pains can persist for months and even years, the health authorities now need to be told of the importance of seeing the Doctor, especially as persistent joint pain may be mistaken for rheumatoid arthritis. They must also be told that good sleep and a healthy diet which includes fruits and vegetables promotes early recovery, and they must be given suggestions on how to deal with the terrible joint pain.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Seiveright also urged the health authorities to assist residents in better storing water for household use, undoubtedly the biggest breeding sites for the mosquitos. He said “Given the chronic water supply challenges across St. Thomas, most residents are forced to collect and store water in a wide range of containers, many times with inappropriate or damaged covering. I and my team are doing what we can on the ground, and I am pleased to see that local health officials are working on appropriate make-shift coverings for water storage containers, but people need to be reminded strongly and repeatedly by the Authorities about alternatives and the risks of not using better methods.”

Mr. Seiveright pledged his full support to working with local health officials to addressing the needs of the people of Eastern St. Thomas in the aftermath of the massive Chikungunya outbreak, and congratulated those persons working hard to improve the lives of people in the communities.